KIERAN ROONEY,
October 23, 2019
Herald Sun
High-speed trials of driverless cars are about to start on Victorian roads, and “game-changing” roads for automated vehicles are on the horizon.
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Driverless cars could travel on specially zoned freeways in as little as three years.
Trials of automated vehicles are set to take place on high-speed rural roads in Victoria from next month, starting with the Mornington Peninsula.
Authorities hope the new technology could even help cut the road toll.
Similar testing will begin near Ballarat in December, with the state government allocating $9 million to test future car technology.
Ford Australia’s Trent McNeil said the technology to allow driverless cars was closer than we thought.
“The real game changer is likely going to be in a couple of years’ time,” Mr McNeil said.
“This would hopefully see freeways and major arterial roads be geographically zoned for automated driving, so you don’t have to touch the steering wheel any more.”
Ford expects to have a vehicle with self-driving capabilities in the US ready for commercial sale by 2021.
The advanced driver assistance systems engineer said many new cars were already at “level 2 automation”, which meant they could brake, accelerate and steer on their own under certain conditions.
But drivers must still have their hands on the steering wheel. Approval of level 3 automation would mean drivers only have to take control for the first and last legs of their journey, travelling on major roads such as the Eastern Freeway in dedicated “automated lanes”.
“Your car will know this and it will drive itself, which will keep traffic moving at an ideal speed and distance, and we can expect to see fewer incidents as the automation reduces human error,” Mr McNeil said.
“Soon after we’ll move to level 4 autonomy on the streets but in restricted areas, which could include driverless taxis and autonomous goods delivery.”
Road Safety Victoria chief executive Robyn Seymour said the state was embracing the technology because it would play an integral role in cutting the number of serious injuries and lives lost on our roads.
“It’s a tragic fact that around 90 per cent of crashes are caused by some form of human error,” Ms Seymour said.
“The sooner we can get this technology and its capability to save lives in our vehicles, the closer we get towards zero.”
Data shows drivers on rural roads are five times more likely to die in a crash.
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